Tasting
Chapter 430

430–The Sad Departure

Nora:

I packed my belongings after Brody delivered the news. I didn’t entirely believe him, but I had noticed Clara and Silas exchanging glances. I suppose I will need to ask Silas directly or wait to see if Clara says something herself.

“All set?” Brody asked, and I nodded my head. I couldn’t even look his way without recalling the ridiculous terms he had imposed. I wouldn’t let him make up the rules. I was already fighting the mutants as he had instructed, and now he wanted me to sleep with him? Ugh! I would rather spend the night throwing up.

He grabbed the bags and left the room, making sure I walked right by his side. Akira had been quiet, so I didn’t twist the ring to let her out. I would only do that when I was fighting or alone with her. Besides, the silver anklet wouldn’t allow her to transition entirely.

“Nora,” Lord Atwood was standing by the car, waiting for our arrival. He looked sad, and so was I. I thought I would hate returning here, but strangely enough, even after everything that had happened, I still felt like this was home. I just wished I could have my kids in this pack. Brody’s pack was full of ugliness and darkness, and I despised every moment I spent there.

“I will miss you,” I said before he could speak. Lord Atwood seemed shocked every time I responded to him kindly. I guess it was because I had previously been so hostile toward him.

“I’m so happy to see you like this,” Lord Atwood replied, giving me a closed–lip smile, but my eyes kept drifting behind him to Brody, who was standing with Clara. The two were looking our way, whispering to each other. The brothers finally appeared; they walked out of the mansion, but there was something in their body language that made me uneasy.

They looked upset but had surrounded Silas, who stepped forward and gave me a brief nod before walking over to Clara. “We wish you could stay, but I have a feeling you cannot,” Ryker said, glancing at Brody. I could see their muscles tensing. They looked especially worked up.

“But soon–we will have you back,” Cain added determinedly. I wasn’t sure what they were planning, but if it was indeed true that Silas was having an affair with Clara, then I wasn’t sure how much I could trust them. How could he act like he cared about me all this time only to go after her?

“We will leave now,” Brody said as he approached me and gently elbowed me, prompting me to nod in agreement. “Take care,” Cain said as he tried to step closer, but Brody quickly interposed himself between us. I was surprised when Cain suddenly attempted to come toward me. Was he going to kiss me again? But this time in front of everyone:

“Take care, Cain,” I said, startling him into looking back at me. His eyes widened in surprise, as he hadn’t expected me to respond.

“Take care from me too,” Ryker quickly interjected, pushing Cain aside to gauge my reaction.

“Take care,” I said with a small smile, causing him to gasp.

“Umm, bye!” Nash raised his hand and waved it at me. I don’t know what happened all of a sudden, but I was tearing up at the departure.

“Bye, Nash!” I waved my hand, prompting a huge smile to spread across his lips. He jumped up and down before turning around and hugging the shocked Cain, who still hadn’t come out of his trance.

“We will see you again,” Silas chimed in, but that’s where I drew the line. The way he reached for Clara to give her a hug made me feel like he thought I didn’t see it.

“Let’s go,” I said, avoiding him and watching his smile fade as I slid into the passenger seat of the car. Clara had already settled in the backseat while Brody started driving. The warriors had their vehicles positioned in front of us and behind us for safety.

Once we hit the road, I decided to give the two of them some silence.

“You know, she even scared me by making me take a walk with that crazy weeping lady,” Clara hadn’t stopped talking. She rambled on about all sorts of things. In fact, she pulled out a diary to tell Brody what I wore and how many hours I spent with whom. I was amused by her interest in my life.

“Clara! Stop complaining. You’re making her uncomfortable,” Brody said. Now that he wasn’t in the presence of the brothers, he was back to acting all sweet. So, he only lets his mask slip when he feels threatened, huh?

“You didn’t tell me what happened to my baby?” I turned to him, questioning with harsh glares.

“I told you, you’ll get your answer when we arrive home. Now let me drive,” he replied, shaking his leg the entire time.

I sat up straight, wondering what else I could do besides wait. It was a very long journey, and we had to make multiple stops because of Clara and her rabbit.

Finally, we arrived at 4 a.m. The pack was enveloped in silence until growls and howls pierced the air. Clara was sleeping, so the moment we arrived, she bolted from the car with her rabbit and didn’t even bother to collect her bags.

“What was that?” I asked Brody, my eyes fixed on the mountains.

“They’ve been going crazy. I guess they finally understand that we’ve been capturing them and killing them,” Brody explained, causing my heart to flip inside my chest.